IBM Powers Up Power8 Servers

IBM today announced new Power8-based server systems as the company grows its portfolio to take on x86-based server vendors.

Among the new systems is the four-socket IBM Power System E850, which can handle up to 48 Power8 3.02 GHz processors. From a memory standpoint, IBM says the Power System E850 will be able to scale up to 4 TB of 1600 MHZ DDR3 memory.

Looking at storage the E850 includes 11 hot swap PCIe Gen3 slots and 8 hot-swap SAS drive bays as well as 4 x SSD drive bays. The E850 is available in a 4U rack configuration.

Going a step beyond the E850 is the new E880, which IBM says can scale up to 192 Power8 processor cores running at 4.02 GHz. Looking at the memory footprint, the E880 can scale up to a staggering 16 TB of 1600 MHz DDR3 memory.

In terms of storage the E880 is a behemoth, with up 32 PCIe Gen3 x16 adapter slots with a a total expandable capacity of up to 4,032 SSD I/O drawers. Given all that power, it's no surprise that the E880 isn't a small box either, but rather is available in a 22U rack configuration.

PurePower Converged Infrastructure System Debuts

The other big new hardware being announced by IBM is its PurePower System, which is a converged infrastructure offering for Big Data and analytics. IBM is also boosting its storage capabilities with the IBM XIV GEN 3 release.

XIV GEN provides real-time compression and is designed for the cloud. IBM is also highlighting its new IBM Spectrum Control Storage Insights solution providing software-as-a-service (SaaS) for data management as a hybrid cloud service.

Cloud a Core Focus

With all the new servers, converged infrastructure and storage solutions, the cloud has clearly become a core focus for IBM.

"IBM hybrid cloud solutions are built for the enterprise and clients are using them to help enable new business models to drive growth," said Don Boulia, Vice President of Cloud Services, IBM Systems, in a statement. "IBM brings all of these technologies together from on-premises data centers and inside public and private clouds to more efficiently manage traditional computing with new mobile, big data and social computing workloads."